Dog Whisperer, Producer Settle Up

Cesar Millan settles lawsuit with TV producer who sued last year after his dog was injured at the Dog Psychology Center of L.A.

By Sarah Hall Apr 06, 2007 9:35 PMTags

The Dog Whisperer has solved yet another pooch problem, albeit one that's unlikely to make it onto his show.

Cesar Millan, host of the National Geographic Channel's Dog Whisperer, has reached a settlement with a TV producer who sued him last year for breach of contract, fraud, animal cruelty and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Television producer Flody Suarez (8 Simple Rules) alleged that his five-year-old Labrador, Gator, was severely injured during a training session at Millan's Dog Psychology Center of Los Angeles.

He claimed that he brought Gator to the center so that he could be socialized with other dogs and to work on his fear of strangers.

In a seemingly counterintuitive manner of treating the latter issue, Millan's staff allegedly put a choke chain on Gator and forced him to run on a treadmill until he collapsed, according to Suarez's suit.

As a result of the overly aggressive treatment, Gator needed several surgeries and was fed through a tube for several weeks. Suarez claimed the vet bills piled up to more than $25,000, for which he felt Millan should be responsible.

Millan argued that Suarez's personal dog trainer was with Gator the entire time he was at the center, claiming that he had allowed the trainer to use the Dog Psychology facilities for free as a favor.

The two parties reached a settlement on Mar. 29, according to documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed and neither Millan nor Suarez had commented publicly.